1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to preparing metal units, such as metal plates, so that they will be immobilized when stacked. More specifically, the invention relates to preparing copper cathodes so that they may be stacked, and then moved or stored, without the use of a securing device, such as a metal band.
2. Problem Statement
Metal plates (also called sheets) are commonly used in industrial applications. For example, some copper metal sheets may be used as copper cathodes in mining operations. In addition, zinc metal sheets are used as anodes in industrial water applications to prevent the xe2x80x9cpittingxe2x80x9d of a metallic container.
Accordingly, in the mining industry, the copper cathodes are used in copper bearing solutions of sulfuric acid and water. More specifically, a copper leaching process called SXEW (solvent extraction/electrowinning) is used at most copper mines to extract copper from oxide ores by electrowinning copper our of solution. In practice, this process (called leaching) runs copper-containing acid and water through a pile or dump of copper bearing oxide ore, and collects the resulting solution for further processing. Another method of producing copper cathodes is by electrwinning copper from a smelter produced anode. This method takes the copper off of the anode and plates it onto a sheet (typically, either stainless steel or a very thin copper starter sheet) to produce a cathode. Accordingly, copper mining and many other industrial processes utilize a large number of metal plates.
Sometimes, due to size limitations, space needed in an industrial application, melting qualities, or other factors, a metallic rod is preferable to a metal plate. Accordingly, sometimes the word xe2x80x9cmetal unitxe2x80x9d is used to describe a metal plate (metal sheet), metal rod, or any other type of stackable metallic processing pieces.
Bundling is the process of gathering and stacking metal units for transport or storage (thus creating a xe2x80x9cbundlexe2x80x9d of metal units). Although bundling may be interpreted by some to imply the application of a securing device to a bundle, as used herein, bundling means the association of two or more metal units, regardless of purpose. Typically, although not necessarily, the association is a stacking of the metal units.
Unfortunately, many metal units are destroyed or lost in transport between a manufacturing or storing site, and an industrial location that utilizes the metal units. This is because securing devices, such as metal bands, that are used to support metal units in transport are often insufficiently strong to withstand the forces and momentum generated by otherwise apparently static metal units. Accordingly, shearing and other forces often cause metal bands to break, or may cause a stack of metal units to fall over. Accordingly, many metal units fall off trucks, trains, or other transport vehicles. Furthermore, stacks of metal units may fall, or slide in a one-on-top-of-each-other fashion, and damage facilities or equipment. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have methods for bundling metal units that more securely maintains the metal units in a stack or other position.
The invention provides technical advantages as methods and devices that enable the nesting of metal units. In one embodiment, the invention is a method of modifying a metal unit to enable nesting. The method generally identifies a nesting location on the metal unit, and applies a force at the nesting location to create a nesting feature.
The method may also include selecting a nesting feature typexe2x80x94such as a dimple, a bubble, a bend along at least one side of the metal unit, an impression, or at least one bend along at least one corner of the metal unit. The metal unit may be a metal plate, such as a copper cathode, or a metal rod.
In another embodiment, the invention is a nestable metal sheet. The nestable metal sheet is generally a metal sheet, such as a copper cathode, having a nesting feature. The nesting feature may include a generally polygonal impression, a raised polygonal surface, or a bend along at least one corner of the metal sheet. Furthermore, the nestable metal sheet may include a separation feature for separating a first metal sheet from a second metal sheet.
In yet another embodiment, the invention is a nestable copper cathode for use in Sulfuric acid bearing solutions, comprising a nesting feature, the nesting feature comprising a bend along at least one corner of the nestable copper cathode. Of course, other features and embodiments of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and thus, similar results as described herein can be achieved in not dissimilar manners. Accordingly, the following discussion should not be read as limiting, and the scope of the invention should be read as limited only as defined in the CLAIMS.